Belinda Doyle, head of sales for Toscano in the U.S., talks about the company’s all-new Master Aged Series 4. It took until Day 4 before we could find time to talk to anyone in the Toscano booth, a sign of how popular the company has become in the last few years.
For more coverage of the PCA 2023 Convention & Trade Show, please visit: halfwheel.com
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How to Select a Cigar
Cigar selection can be a daunting experience, especially for the new smoker. Many factors come into play when selecting a cigar including price, packaging, size and flavor profile. However, the most important factor when choosing a cigar should be its taste and aroma. A cigar is a complex product made up of several different tobaccos that are mixed, aged and then rolled into a unique shape that can be smoked. The aroma and taste of a cigar should be a reflection of the environment in which it was grown and the expertise of the cigar maker.
The aroma and taste of a cigar should also be clean and pure. It should be free of any harshness and bitterness. A quality cigar should also be well-balanced and consistent. Finally, it should draw easily and have a pleasant scent. All these characteristics are what separate a quality cigar from the mass-produced garbage of cigarettes and machine made cigars that are full of dyes, ripening accelerants, preservatives and artificial sweeteners.
Another important consideration when selecting a cigar is its intensity or strength. Cigars are usually rated in terms of mild, medium and full. Mild cigars are perfect for new smokers, while a medium smoke will satisfy the majority of smokers. Full-bodied cigars are reserved for the most experienced aficionados.
Lastly, a cigar’s shape is another key consideration. The most common shapes are: the corona (straight with a rounded top, about 5 inches long); the petit corona (shorter version of the corona); tres petit corona (a torpedo-shaped cigar, tapered at the lighting end, about 4.5 inches long); and the Lonsdale (a straight cigar with a rounded head that is approximately 6.5 inches long). Modern cigars are also often described by their length and ring gauge, which is a measure of the diameter of a cigar in 64ths of an inch.
